Briefs and Submissions

Apprenticeship Training - Failed Experiment

February 27, 2018
Problems in our skills training and apprenticeship programs are a distinctly made-in-BC problem. It's the legacy of 16 years of the BC Liberals mismanaging the system. Training for skilled trades was deregulated. Comprehensive training programs were chopped into modules. Hours of mandatory... more

An Economy for Everyone: The case for a $15 minimum wage

November 23, 2017 | Minimum Wage
It is well documented that high rates of poverty undermine economic stability, and that low wages have a negative impact on working people, their families, and communities. In short, we all pay the price when a significant number of working people are earning poverty wages. We must turn this trend... more

Re-establishing a Human Rights Commission in BC

November 15, 2017
It is our hope that the BC Human Rights Commission will serve as a permanent institution safe- guarding the rights of BC’s residents and communities, while setting the bar on human rights edu- cation higher than it has ever been in this province.

Level the Playing Field: Building an economy that works for everyone

October 16, 2017
Budget 2018: Submission to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services Through more than a century of political activism, workers have won many important legislative rights, including the legal right to form and join a union; the right to bargain collectively;... more

BCFED Recommendations Regarding Youth Employment

March 20, 2017
The BC Federation of Labour submitted the following recommendations regarding youth employment to the Government of Canada’s Expert Panel on Youth Employment. There is a significant leadership role that government can play to improve the employment rates of young people and ensure that they are... more

BCFED, affiliates press WCB to improve payments to injured workers

The BC Federation of Labour and member unions are calling on the Workers’ Compensation Board to improve award payments to workers who’ve been injured at work and left with a permanent or partial disability. In a recent submission to the Board, the BCFED spotlights the unfair way the WCB calculates... more

Restoring Fairness and Balance in Labour Relations

December 20, 2016
Through a comprehensive review of legislative changes and Board decisions, this paper chronicles 15 years of attacks on unions and workers under the BC Liberals (2001-2016). The paper situates the legislative, regulatory, and funding decisions within the context of other political eras in British... more

WCB Consultation Submission - Final

Please see below the written submission of the regulatory changes open for consultation. Read the full submission here: WCB Consultation Submission Final

Review of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)

June 9, 2016
The BCFED submitted this report to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) with respect to the review of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Read the full submission here: Review of the Temporary Foreign Worker... more

WCB Consultation Submission on Proposed 2016-2018 Policy Priorities Workplan

April 13, 2016
The following is the submission of the BCFED with respect to the proposed policy workplan for 2016-2018. It is pertinent to note that, despite our submission below, the BCFED may advocate for additions to the 2016-2018 workplan in the future. Read the full submission here: WCB Consultation -... more